


The Golden Bird

by beautymorenowthandyingswhen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attempted Rape, Cursed!Draco, Curses, F/M, Magical Creatures, Ministry of Magic Employee Hermione Granger, Slow Burn, Thunderbird - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 02:29:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18729898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautymorenowthandyingswhen/pseuds/beautymorenowthandyingswhen
Summary: Hermione Granger was happy in her position as assistant to the Assistant Director of the Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. In the two years since the final battle, she had worked hard to achieve her career goals, but she hadn't spent much time on anything else. A surprise visit from someone Hermione had hoped, against her logic, to never see again, sends her and her team on a wild chase after an extremely elusive creature-one that might not exist at all.





	The Golden Bird

**Author's Note:**

> Updates may be infrequent, I work full time and I'm in school, but I'm working to be consistent with this fic

~May 2nd, 1998~

_    Screams and spells split the air around Hermione as she ducked into the Forbidden Forest. This battle was so much worse than any other; she prayed it would be her last as she concealed herself in the shrubbery, catching her breath. Hogwarts was crumbling and there were Death Eaters everywhere she turned. Hermione hadn’t seen a familiar face alive in the last half hour she’d spent running for her life, dodging curses with every step. Setting her jaw to hold back tears at the thought of the many dead faces she had stumbled over, Hermione readied herself to plunge back into the frey. _

_    A snarl rang out close by, followed by a series sharp yelps and the hair on Hermione’s neck shot up. Before she could think, claws tore into her neck and yanked her from her hiding place.  _

_    “Would y’look what we have here? A filthy mudblood cunt by smell of it.” Fenrir Greyback snarled, his scarred snout curled back. “The Dark Lord has no use for curs.” _

_    Hermione met his eyes, fury bubbling in her despite her fear. “Voldemort will fall before the night is over,” she spat.  _

_    “Insolent mudblood!” Fenrir howled, slamming her into the ground with a painful crunch. “I normally wouldn’t waste my time on a dirty bitch like you, but today I might make an exception.” _

_    Spots danced in her vision and she blinked hard, struggling to focus on what was happening. She vaguely recognized her clothing being torn, then pain as her skin was shredded. Her vision fell black, then jerked back into clarity as pain burned through her. She plummeted into darkness again, the last thing her hazy eyes saw was a second wolf hurtling into Fenrir and knocking him off her body.  _

 

* * *

 

 

~June 6th, 2000~

 

   Hermione sat back in her office chair and eyed the clock. 6:36pm Half an hour past when everyone else had already left for the day. The Ministry’s Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division, had been silent since 6:03, but she was determined to keep moving up in her department, and so had taken to staying later than her colleagues. 

   She’d spent most of her career working on a series of bills to protect a variety of species, House Elves, Veela, and especially Werewolves. The final battle and what had happened to her remained burned on the back of her eyelids, visible every time she closed her eyes. 

    The memory had fueled her into the department and ensured her a rabid climb through the ranks. Officially she was the Assistant to the Assistant Director. That was little more than a title, her work rarely varied from that of the rest of her coworkers. Hermione was thankful that the honorary title included a real office which gave her some privacy from the bullpen full of men. Not to say she didn’t like her coworkers, most of them were tolerable and even friendly, but the quiet was her reprieve. Hermione always found her work to be better when she was alone and could concentrate. 

   A knock at her door shattered her reverie, jerking her back to the present. “Come in!” she called. 

   Blaise Zabini, former Slytherin and her most frequent partner, peeked his head in, “you know everyone else has already left. You should head home; one of these days you’re going to burn yourself out.” 

   Hermione shot him a look but felt her lips curling into a smile despite herself, “And you know that I have to get my new draft of this bill in before we leave on a new assignment.”

   Pearly teeth contrasted Blaise’s mocha skin as he chuckled at her, “Ever the swotty Gryffindor. In any case, make sure you get some sleep, I hate to be stuck with a cranky partner in the morning.” He winked, disappearing before she could retort.

   Sighing, Hermione admitted silently that he was right. She gathered her papers, intent on finishing the bill at home and turning it in before their departure the next day. 

   After making her way to the Floos almost on autopilot, she found herself stepping into her quiet flat. Brushing soot from her clothes, Hermione clicked her tongue until she heard a responding mrrrp as Crookshanks roused from his nest of blankets and hopped down to greet her. He rubbed against her legs while she shrugged off her coat and as she bent to scratch his head her Floo roared to life a second time. 

   Not even bothering to turn around, Hermione spoke in her best lecture voice, “Harry Potter didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to show up somewhere unannounced?”

   Her best friend chuckled, “I think someone did once. She was pretty obnoxious about it and her hair was just so large and distracting that day I didn’t pay much attention.”

   Hermione whirled around to glare at him, catching the mirth in his green eyes. She sighed, “Harry, I love you but I’ve had a long day and I have an early morning. Did you need something?” 

   “Just haven’t seen you, since the whole, y’know” Harry shot her a half grin when she winced. 

   “I know, Harry, I’ve just been working.” She smiled half heartedly, “I haven’t exactly been in the mood to watch my ex parade his tart of the week. I’ve got a meeting with the department head in the morning. With any luck I’ll be assigned out of the country.” Pausing, she met Harry’s eyes across the room, imploring him to understand, “I think it will be good for me.”

   Harry tilted his head and considered her in silence, finally puffing a short breath through his nose. “All right, I trust you Hermione. You know what you need.” He headed back towards her fireplace, pausing just before he tossed a handful of Floo powder inside, “But, make sure you owl while you’re gone. At least so we know you haven’t run off with some complete ponce to hide in a library for the rest of your days.” 

   Hermione gasped, stomping her foot before she could stop herself, “Harry, you absolute-” 

   The Floo roared to life and Harry vanished in the flames, the ghost of his laughter lingering a second longer.

   Hermione pressed her lips together and screamed in her throat. She loved that man like a brother, but he never failed to get on her nerves. 


End file.
